Sonata of Life
by Ayingott
Summary: He was nothing but a ghost, seen by no one. But them Echizen proved him wrong, again. Light shonen ai. Thrill pair.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This is a work of pure fiction. No real humans were harmed in the making of it. I don't own the characters used in this written piece. I own nothing, actually. I am just another bum. **

**Warning: I suck at grammar, that is all. This will be soooo confusing people.**

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><p><strong>Sonata of Life.<strong>

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><p>He had changed since that time. The very time had stopped for him. Only for him, not them.<p>

He watched them having so much fun, living on like nothing had happened. Like he hasn't been a part of their lives at some point. It was a bit sickening, really. He felt envious, angry, sad and… forgotten.

Because they lived on. Without him.

"Oishiiii~~ have you seen this, they are making a new movie, nya!" The red-head's happy voice fluttered though the stillness that he had created around himself. The chirpy voice brought back another wave of the blackness that he kept in himself.

The mother hen of the team smiled, "Yes, I have Eiji. We should go see it, together with everyone." There was that sweet look in Oishi's eyes that he had seen only when the third-year was around Eiji. Sometimes, he wanted to make that look crumble. Now, was one of those times.

"Shut up Momoshiri, like hell will I do that!" Another voice he knew, another person that had forgotten about him. "Stop that already!" Kaidoh never changed, it seemed. Then again, it hasn't been _that_ long.

And Momo was the same too, just like he has always been. "Are you _scared_ Mamushi? You seem a little pale, you so do." The snicker that followed after only drove Kaidoh further, annoyed him more. It was an amusing sight, truly, but he didn't feel like laughing.

The rest of the regulars, the few people that he trusted enough to show them a speck of what he truly is, _**was**_, weren't here. Probably something to discuss, something to organize or something to do was what kept them away from the practice. Although, Kawamura probably didn't play anymore. He was the only one that had cried that day.

_The only one._

He turned his face to the other side, the happy smiles and laughter and the secret eye messages that were passed between two people only drove him deeper into the blackness. And that wasn't what he wanted. But what he wanted then? To be seen? To be recognized? To be remembered?

Or was it something else entirely?

The corned of his mouth twitched a bit before he allowed the thought to disappear into the back of his mind, or what was left of it anyway. He allowed his tired and empty eyes to land on the smallest, or maybe shortest would be better, member of the regulars. Their baby of the team, their little leader. It was quite amusing to watch him. Only on rare cases a sign of emotion would color his face.

It took him by surprise when Echizen turned to look in his direction, because, clearly, he couldn't see him. No one could, he was sure of that. But those golden eyes never left him. They saw him, _him_, a being of the dead, a weak shadow of what he was, used to be.

The smile on his face, the one that was finally seen, was a real one this time. After so long.

The child walked over to where he floated above the ground, uncaring and slightly aloof, as always. But this was Echizen, there was little that could surprise him, probably. Then again, ghosts were actually a part of those 'few things', was what he had always thought.

But he could see him.

The baby of the team leaned against the fence, right next to him and pulled his hat down a little. "Hello, Fuji-sempai." He sounded the same as always, only maybe his voice sounded a bit further away to Fuji. But then again, everything sounded as if it was somewhere far away to him.

"Echizen, how are you?" He simply answered; the relief of talking to the child slowly flooded his transparent body. "You can see me, it seems."

He smirked, swinging his racket a bit, "Yeah well, somewhat."

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><p><strong>AN: This is pointlessly stupid and I will probably continue it anyway. I am such a fucking suicider. Yes I am. Why do I do this to myself? Hahahahaha!**

**Yeah and… Amm… the rest of my stories… yeah. They are not forgotten. Hopefully, Saturday or Sunday "Fixing What's Broken" will be up. Hopefully.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: This is a work of pure fiction. No real humans were harmed in the making of it. I don't own the characters used in this written piece. I own nothing, actually. I am just another bum. **

**Warning: I suck at grammar, that is all. This is soooo confusing people.**

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><p><strong>Sonata of Life.<strong>

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><p>"Fuji-sempai, why are you following me?" the boy sighed. The irritation in his voice was something he didn't bother to hide.<p>

It was after the usual after-school tennis practice, with the vast sky colored in soft orange tones, the last sunrays lazily disappearing to give way to the he mysteriously black night that was yet to come. Ryoma wasn't the only person still in the streets; he was merely one from the hundreds that were still refusing to head home.

"Because." The shadow of what was once human lightly answered, "Since you see me…"

Ryoma sighed; the baby of the team didn't seem too happy about amusing a being that wasn't supposed to be here. Fuji knew that, he had long since been able to tell what Ryoma was thinking, but maybe this was for the best? He liked to think that way.

But for who? Him or Ryoma? Both. Maybe?

He looked at the people that passed by, the scenery that he had walked past just days ago. He couldn't tell if he missed it, or silently enjoyed the freedom that he was given. It was freedom that had taken the ultimate price though.

He heard the child mutter something to himself. Fuji floated a bit closer to see if he could hear it better. "Mind saying that again?" he asked, standing in front of Ryoma.

"When we get to my house, don't ask anything. Just… pretend that you don't see anything." Those golden eyes looked at Fuji, or maybe somewhere far way.

Fuji wasn't sure how to answer to that. He pondered about this for a second longer and then smiled, like he always has, "I can't talk to anyone else but you, so there would be no need for me to ask questions."

Ryoma tilted his head on one side, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. He sighed a moment later and resumed his steady-paced walk home. He was quiet until they reached the temple that served as the younger's home.

The only strange thing that fell into Fuji's sight was the aura of abandonment. As if, this house has been left behind, together with everything in it.

The house felt cold.

"Ryoma-kun.. what is..?" but then he remember the small promise that the child had asked on the street. He closed his mouth and merely followed the small back inside the house.

Abandoned.

All that he could call this place. There was absolutely nothing that would show of any human living in this house. No personal things, no aromas from a just-made meal fluttering about, no 'welcome home'… Nothing.

Fuji watched Ryoma, the child slowly, almost unwillingly, took off his shoes and stood up, leaving his tennis bag in the small hallway. He walked inside the living room and then straight to the sofa. Someone was sleeping there, if the pair of human legs, dumped over the armrest, was a sign enough.

"Nana, get up. Nana." The boy shook the sleeping girl; Fuji had flown closer to see what was going on. "Nana, he'll be home soon, get up." Ryoma spoke in hushed, quick words, shaking the sleeping girl even more.

Once she was awake enough to be able to sit up, she yawned and looked at the boy with hollow, half-lidded eyes. She quickly shook her head and then, as if just been woken up, rushed to the kitchen. It was like she had seen a ghost, a shadow of a horrible nightmare.

By the time Fuji stopped wondering about the behavior of the two; Ryoma had already gone upstairs, his tennis bag still forgotten in the hallway. Since he wasn't one of the living anymore, Fuji just passed through the ceiling and ended up in his kohai's room.

"May I ask now?" he inquired, although the answer was more than clear.

Ryoma didn't bother to look at him. A small scowl settled on his face and he sighed, "Trust me, sempai, you don't want to know."

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><p><strong>AN: Creepy as hell.**

**And, uhhh, there is a poll on my profile… please vote? Yes? And, I will be just as active as I have been until now (meaning - dead), since I have my midterms this week. But, starting next week, something might change. :D I hope. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: This is a work of pure fiction. No real humans were harmed in the making of it. I don't own the characters used in this written piece. I own nothing, actually. I am just another bum. **

**Warning: I suck at grammar, that is all. This will be soooo confusing people.**

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><p><strong>Sonata of Life.<strong>

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><p>Ryoma didn't leave his room even once that evening.<p>

Fuji simply floated around, looking at all the things that were scattered around the teen's room, starting from tennis magazines to mangas and clothes, as well as tennis awards and medals from competitions. Some action figures were put on the shelves, next to the awards. Posters of tennis stars, anime characters and singers were scattered over the light brown walls.

A faint sound that sounded like yelling reached Fuji's ears, although they were invisible and he couldn't exactly "hear" anymore. It was a ghost thing and was too complicated to think about. The ghost looked at the baby of his ex-team and noted that there were headphones on the boy's ears, isolating all the noise from outside.

Fuji figured that Ryoma wouldn't mind what he didn't know, so he quickly slipped through the floor (and the ceiling of the living room at the same time) of the boy's room and found himself in the living room once again. Empty sake bottles, that weren't there during the day, were scattered on the table and it reeked of cigarettes. The gost followed the incomprehensible yelling to the kitchen, only to stop in the doorway and stare at the scene wide-eyed.

Ryoma's father, the Echizen Nanjiroh, was swinging around a half-empty bottle of sake and spouting something that couldn't be understood. The girl that Ryoma had called Nana was standing behind the table, her fingers clutching to the wooded surface so hard, that her knuckles had long since turned white. The grown man glared at the girl suddenly and threw a cup at her.

Fuji was about to fly in front of her and stop the object, but then he remembered his state and only helplessly watched the object flying towards her. The girl evaded it, however, and took a chair as a block with her.

"Uncle, stop it! Isn't it enough already? Think about Ryoma-san!" Nana pleaded, but her gaze was strong this time, not like before, during the day. She seemed to have woken up. "If you keep this up who knows what will happen."

"Shut it, woman!" The elder Echizen spit out, holding on to the wall as a means of support, "You know nothing, _nothing. _That fucking brat doesn't even come say hello to his daddy here, so who fucking cares?" he spit in the sink and chugged down another mouthful of sake.

Nana gritted her teeth and slammed the chair against the floor. "I forbid Ryoma-san to see you. Because if he comes near you again, you will only hurt him again! Have you no shame as a father?" she yelled, her face coloring slightly red.

"I said s_hut up_! Who are you to talk back to me and decide what is best for that damned kid? WHO!" Nanjroh slammed the bottle on the kitchen table and focused his drunken eyes on the girl. "It wasn't my fault ya' know. It wasn't…"

He hiccupped and slumped against the wall he was holding onto, snoring lightly as his body hit the floor. Nana was panting a little, her eyes warily watching the sleeping drunkard. Then she quietly walked around the man and rushed upstairs.

Fuji watched the girl leave and then looked down on the man. It was a pitiful sight, if he could say so, but he couldn't quite muster up the feelings of sorry for this man. It was strange, but for some reason, he could only feel hate towards Ryoma's dad.

"Not everything is what it seems, huh?" he muttered and looked up, deciding it was time he returned to Ryoma's side.

Fuji flew through the ceiling again, slipping into Ryoma's room once again, finding the boy staring at him. He started back and then asked: "What happened? That isn't the man that I remember knowing."

"A month ago, when _that_ happened," Ryoma silently started, his eyes now casted down on the floor, "He was the one that was driving the jeep. Mom is now in coma and he couldn't take the blame, so.. _That_ happened to him." The child sighed.

Fuji knew that there were more casualties, not only himself. Though, the fact that this child's, this boy's family was involved in this all, suffered from this as much as his had… Fuji hadn't known and couldn't have guessed. Not from the way that Ryoma was acting for the whole month.

"You're getting darker, sempai. Don't blame yourself." Ryoma's voice brought him out of the swirl of thoughts, "I'm just good at pretending. That's all."

For the first time since knowing Ryoma, Fuji was taken over with the feeling of wanting to hug the boy. Hug him and allow the child to cry it all out, finally.

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><p><strong>AN: … This is weird. Really weird. **

**Oh well…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: This is a work of pure fiction. No real humans were harmed in the making of it. I don't own the characters used in this written piece. I own nothing, actually. I am just another bum. **

**Warning: I'm gomen. I'm very gomen.**

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><p><strong>Sonata of Life.<strong>

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><p>"So where are we going now? You shouldn't skip school, but the way. Tezuka will give you laps." Fuji floated right behind his kouhai, smiling to himself.<p>

He hadn't talked about the condition of Ryoma's household anymore; Fuji understood that it wouldn't be the right thing to do right now. When Ryoma left he had only managed to spot Nana, Ryoma's dad was nowhere to be seen. But sadly, it was for the best that that man stayed out of the house.

Ryoma sighed. He ran a hand though his messy hair and then mumbled under his nose, "To see my mom."

Fuji stopped floating and simply stared at Ryoma's slowly retreating back. The boy had said yesterday that his mother was still in a coma, sleeping soundly, blissfully ignorant to the never-sleeping world around her. Sure, she was still alive but… coma was more frightening that death, Fuji thought.

The ghost quickly caught up with the short first-year and smiled to himself a little. Ryoma truly was a strong kid. Fuji raised one of his hands in front of himself, earning a weird look from Ryoma, and hmm-ed to himself. He then slowly reached out towards Ryoma, the boy now looking as if he wanted to run away, and gently placed it on the boy's head.

Strangely enough, Fuji could actually _feel _the softness of the teen's hair, he could _touch _it. Ryoma stopped, frozen on the spot and widened his eyes, emotions that Fuji couldn't decipher mirrored in those golden-tinted eyes.

"Sempai… h-how?" Ryoma stuttered, swallowing his saliva, "I-I mean, you're.. you know, dead." Though, he didn't look scared as he asked this, only slightly surprised.

Fuji hummed again, ruffling those green-tinted locks, "Well, I would guess that we have a deep emotional bond, or something like that? I don't know really. Just though it might work and it did, ne?" he smiled at his kohai's doubting look and then floated away, his hand pulling out of Ryoma's hair, "Better start moving again Echizen, people are starting to stare."

The rest of the walk to the hospital was spent in silence, no touches, not comments or questions. Only the buzz of the people around them filled the silence between the two – a human and a ghost. But Fuji didn't mind; he had other things to think about, other unanswered questions to answer. He could touch Ryoma - that was all that mattered for now.

Fuji decided to fly around and let Ryoma have his alone time with his mother. The boy loved her, the ghost could see that, so it would be for the best that they had some alone time. Ryoma could be sitting there silently and only looking at her, or telling her everything that had happened to him since the last visit, probably including Fuji being here in his ghostly form.

The ghost sighed and sat on the edge of the hospital's roof. "Why can I touch him? Because I really wanted to…" electric blue looked up at the sky and watched the occasional clouds passing by. "A ghost huh?"

He then looked down, watching the patients walking around the hospital garden, wondering about why he even became a ghost in the first place. He had no regrets, no unfulfilled desires that could be the reason, no one that he loved and wished to be with for a little longer. Nothing. So why, why was he here now?

Was it to help Ryoma maybe? The boy was in a pretty tough situation now.

"Haha, I'm a ghost, what help can I give?" Fuji sighed and ruffled his hair. This was hurting his head a little.

When Ryoma came out his eyes were a little red, but Fuji said nothing. Ryoma was wearing the hood of his hoodie over his eyes now; he said nothing and just walked straight out of the hospital. Fuji just floated next to him and looked straight ahead.

The ghost turned around, facing the hospital now, "You know, Echizen, I might be here to help you out. But I still don't know how or if it's really the reason I'm a ghost now." He glanced at the boy next to him, only to find those golden eyes on him.

"Shouldn't I be helping you, senpai?" Ryoma asked back, his eyes now looking forward again, "They say people turn into ghosts when they have regrets and unfinished business here."

"Maybe you're my regret. Haven't you thought about it – why can you see me?" Fuji smiled, "But this is also just a possibility."

None of the two said anything after that, they just moved forward quietly, only the rush from the others around them once again enveloped them. Maybe Fuji' words had shocked the freshman, so he refused to talk? It was too soon, probably.

Ryoma stopped but the streetlight, the red light was shining. "I don't think it has anything that you have left to regret sempai." He then said, catching Fuji off-guard, "It's probably my fault you're here."

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><p><strong>AN: Here you go. And, I'm gomen.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: This is a work of pure fiction. No real humans were harmed in the making of it. I don't own the characters used in this written piece. I own nothing, actually. I am just another bum. **

**Warning: I don't know what I'm doing anymore.**

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><p><strong>Sonata of Life.<strong>

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><p>Fuji wondered about what Ryoma had said. <em>It's probably my fault you're here. <em>Those were Ryoma's words, exactly what the younger had said, a small smile had played across his lips. A smile that could have made Fuji shiver if he were still alive, a smile that told so much and yet stayed quiet. It wasn't a smile that a child like Ryoma should have. Not yet.

"Fuji-sempai, you're getting darker." Ryoma's quiet voice reached the ghost and he looked down.

Ryoma was in the middle of an English class, so his voice was barely over a whisper, meant for Fuji only to hear. The children around them couldn't hear, nor see the ghost, so it was alright for the dead teen to follow Ryoma around, as if guarding him from something.

Fuji lowered himself, sitting on the table of the girl that was sitting on Ryoma's right and tilted his head, "Saa, what do you mean darker? Oh wait, we're in class now. I'll ask you later then." He leaned closer, taking a look at the question sheet that Ryoma had already finished, "Perfect, ne?"

Only when Ryoma was in the limited freedom and quietness of the rooftop, sitting down on the ground and opening the package of the sandwiches he had bought, did Fuji finally asked the boy about him becoming darker again.

"Like I said, you were getting darker. Now you're pretty much transparent, but before you were getting darker, it was hard to see through you." Ryoma took a bite from his chicken meat sandwich, chewed, swallowed and then talked again, "As if you were transforming into something. Dunno."

The ghost hummed to himself, "I won't become an evil spirit." He said and floated a bit higher, taking in the view from above, focusing on the few that were on the tennis courts, using their lunch time to train and become even better at this sport, "Because I cannot become one. I promised Yuuta, after all."

If Ryoma had heard him then he didn't bother to respond, food taking top priority right now. Fuji didn't mind, or more like, he probably didn't even _want_ for Ryoma to respond. The rookie shouldn't know these things. It was between him and his brother, his brother who seemed to be blaming himself for Fuji's death, even if he wasn't the one at fault. It was Ryoma's dad, yes, but still… No one was at fault, really.

The door to the rooftop was kicked open suddenly; Fuji didn't even bother to look down since he knew that it was Momo again. Just like always. The second-year took his place next to Ryoma, opening his bento box and letting the sandwiched he bought at the cafeteria fall on the ground. The two talked about tennis and the team and next competitions, something that Fuji could no longer do. Something he wished he _could_ do.

"Oi, Echizen," Momo's voice took a worried tone, Fuji sliding in front of the two as he started to speak, and he looked worried as he continued, his resolve strong, "are you ok?"

Ryoma seemed to think it over, glancing at Fuji for a split second and then opened his ponta can, "Why? I'm fine."

The second-year sighed and scratched his head, "You look a bit pale, more than usual, you know? And, you still haven't gotten over it, have you? Fuji-sempai, I mean." He did seem to think about his choice of words for once, but Fuji still felt like pointing out that this was not the right time to talk about this.

"I'm fine, Momo-sempai. I've calmed down now, realized that there is nothing I can do and that I shouldn't have said that. It would only burden Fuji-sempai, even in the afterlife." He spoke softly, his voice almost disappearing.

Fuji looked between his kohais, brow furrowing in slight worry and incomprehension as he tried to understand what they were talking about. Momo seemed worried, not joking around for once and Ryoma seemed as if he had lost all energy, ashamed even. He would ask about this later, Fuji promised himself, waiting for the continuation of this, if there even was one.

"Oh… ok. Well, it's ok then." A nervous laugh escaped from Momo's mouth and then he added, as if jokingly and lightly, not noticing the way Ryoma flinched and looked up at Fuji as he said it, "It's not like you could call him back anyway, it's not possible. Right?"

Ryoma tore his gaze away from the ghost and then looked at his sempai, a shadow of some sorts crossed his eyes and then he obviously faked calmness, "Yeah, he can't be called back. That's impossible."

From everything that was happening at the Echizen house, to Ryoma's words said yesterday after his hospital visit to the way that Ryoma seemed to shrink smaller with each word that left Momo's mouth just now… it couldn't be.

Could it?

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><p><strong>AN: Exams are coming up, I have another writer's block. I am so sorry.**


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